| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | |  SpaceX, Twitter and electric car maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends an event during the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, on June 16, 2023. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP) (Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images) | Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images |
Good morning and welcome to Monday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is following a familiar pattern when confronted with questions about antisemitism. Yesterday, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked DeSantis on “State of the Union'' whether he would condemn an Elon Musk post on X that appeared to endorse a false antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jewish people want to replace whites in Western countries with people of color. DeSantis said he hadn’t seen the post. After Tapper read it to him, DeSantis insisted he never saw Musk “indulge in any of that” and didn’t want to pass judgment without seeing the post and its context. DeSantis added that Musk had a “target on his back” ever since he took the helm at X because he was taking the social media site in a “direction that a lot of people who are used to controlling the narrative don’t like.” Musk himself slammed “bogus” coverage about him on X last night, saying “nothing could be further from the truth" when it came to claims that he was antisemitic. He and DeSantis have appeared to be allies at times: Musk said last year that he was leaning toward supporting DeSantis for president, though it’s not clear where he stands now. DeSantis praised Musk when he bought X and even used the social media platform to launch his presidential bid, in what turned out to be a glitch-filled mess. His latest comments on antisemitism were similar to what DeSantis has said — and been criticized for — following incidents in Florida. In September, groups of neo-Nazis spread antisemitic messages outside Disney World and last year banners hung over a highway in Jacksonville that read "End Jewish Supremacy in America." In 2022, demonstrators wearing Nazi garb protested near the University of Central Florida. DeSantis has refused to weigh in on such matters and asked about it last month, the governor said he didn’t want to “elevate” the problem by drawing attention to “knuckleheads.” Other public officials, including Republicans, have spoken out following such hate displays. “Anti-semitism is such a dangerous poison it needs to be condemned everywhere & every time, even when it’s just a small group of attention craving losers,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a post after Nazi symbols were posted outside the Tampa convention center last year. GOP state Rep. Randy Fine recently switched his support from DeSantis to Donald Trump, saying the governor hadn’t done enough to fight antisemitism. In the instance of pro-Palestinian marches on college campuses, DeSantis has acted and spoken out quickly, including attempting to disband the organization (in return, they sued on the basis of free speech). He also has built out numerous pro-Israel policies since Hamas’ attack, including sending flights to Israel to rescue stranded Americans at no cost to them, increasing security funding for Jewish day schools and broadening sanctions against Iran-linked companies. Before that, he moved to punish companies that boycott Israel, increased penalties for antisemitic hate crimes and twice traveled to Israel as governor. DeSantis acknowledged on CNN that both sides of the political spectrum had shown antisemitism. “The difference is that, on the left, that tends to be attached to some major institutional power, like some of our most august universities,” he said. “Whereas I think, on the right, it tends to be more fringe voices that are doing it, but it’s wrong no matter what.” Tapper tried to push back on DeSantis’ characterization of fringe individual instances of antisemitism, noting that Musk was the wealthiest man in the world. Musk's comments had an effect elsewhere: Major corporations including Apple and The Walt Disney Co. pulled X advertising and it was condemned by the White House, which called it an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate” that “runs against our core values as Americans.” Since Hamas’ attacks, Jews have seen a 316 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. compared to the same period last year, says the Anti-Defamation League. — WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis will participate in a Newsmax townhall during primetime. PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving this Thursday and Friday but back to our normal schedule on Monday, Nov. 27. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com |  | ... 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Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | UNSPENT — “Florida leaves $800 million on the table for disability services, advocates say,” reports Jeffrey Schweers of the Orlando Sentinel. “That’s enough to give the 23,000 people on a waiting list maintained by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities the critical services they need to live with their disorders, which include autism and cerebral palsy, advocates say. The money could be used for medical treatment, therapy, housing and help people maintain a level of independence and stay out of institutions.” PUSH FOR RECORDS — Washington Post lawsuit challenges Florida law shielding DeSantis travel records, r eports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. The Post argues that the law is unconstitutional and that the state should turn them over. Its lawsuit marks the first effort to challenge the law, which the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed just weeks before DeSantis officially announced a run for president. CASE PENDING — “Florida Supreme Court refuses to block sports betting amid legal fight,” reports News Service of Florida. “Without explanation, the Supreme Court denied a motion by West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp. to ‘immediately suspend the sports betting provisions’ of a law that carried out a 2021 gambling deal between the tribe and the state.” RESPONSE TO CURRICULUM — “Florida Democrat introduces bill to prevent teaching that Black people ‘benefited from slavery,’” reports Blavity News’ Christopher Rhodes. State Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami Gardens "has submitted a bill to regulate the way educators teach the history of slavery in Florida. Specifically, SB 344 stipulates that ‘state academic standards may not indicate or imply that an enslaved person benefited from slavery or the enslavement experience in any way.’” MENTAL HEALTH — “Two Republican lawmakers have filed proposals that would allow Medicaid beneficiaries with serious mental illnesses to avoid a practice known as step therapy in receiving medications [which] generally involves requiring a patient to try one type of medication to determine if it is effective before being able to try a more-expensive drug,” reports News Service of Florida. ROARING BACK — “Florida is on pace for record-setting tourism numbers this year,” reports News Service of Florida’s Jim Turner. “The tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida on Thursday estimated 35.066 million people traveled to Florida during the third quarter of 2023, 1.4 percent more than during the same period of 2022 and 7.9 percent above the total in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic began.” | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | |  Karla Hernandez-Mats, president of the United Teachers of Dade. | Lynne Sladky/AP | BUST? — Florida’s new anti-union law is threatening the existence of the state’s largest teacher’s union, reports Sommer Brugal and Ana Ceballos. “Florida’s largest teachers union, United Teachers of Dade, will head down the path toward decertification if it cannot prove that hundreds more teachers began paying dues over the last week — an unprecedented situation that threatens to leave about 30,000 Miami-Dade public school teachers and personnel vulnerable to possible labor contract changes.” ALSO IN TROUBLE — “Pinellas teachers union fights time, new law in effort to stay alive,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solocheck. “They pivoted to a petition drive in which 30 percent of eligible members can request a vote to certify the union. If enough signatures come in, the Public Employees Relations Commission would conduct an election in which a simple majority would decide if the Pinellas union stays or goes.” LONG WAIT — “‘Complete nightmare:’ Fort Lauderdale’s rain-weary residents fear next flood,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Susannah Bryan. “Homeowners from nearby River Oaks to Las Olas Isles to Melrose Park have been begging the city to improve its drainage infrastructure for years … In the next decade, the city plans to upgrade the drainage infrastructure in 25 of Fort Lauderdale’s most flood-prone neighborhoods, including Shady Banks … In some areas, the work won’t begin until 2031 and won’t be completed until 2034.” DISNEY LAWSUIT — “DeSantis appointees seek Disney communications about governor, laws in fight over district,” reports The Associated Press’ Mike Schneider. “The district wants all Disney communications about DeSantis, as well as communications dealing with laws passed by the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature that switched control of the district from Disney supporters to the governors’ appointees and nullified deals the company made with the Disney-controlled district before the state takeover.” | | DATELINE D.C. | | |  U.S. Congressmen Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), speaks during a roundtable discussion with a bipartisan delegation of members of Congress and others, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, in Parkland, Fla. | Marta Lavandier/AP | TODAY — U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz and five other members of Congress will tour the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to survey the tragic scene. This will be the last tour before the building is demolished in the summer of 2024 after a gunman killed 17 people and wounded 17 others there in 2018. It remained in place for years as evidence for the trial, and various lawmakers have visited to consider how they might improve school security and weigh firearms restrictions. Moskowitz, who helped persuade state lawmakers to pass a gun safety measure, arranged the tour with Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Brian Fitzpatrick (D-Penn.), Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.). | | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
TOMORROW — Runoffs for Miami Beach mayor and two Miami commission races.
SPEAKING OF … — “‘Suspended commissioner uses Trump tactic, attacks Broward prosecutor as ‘leftist’ and ‘shameless liar,’” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man. “Alex Díaz de la Portilla, suspended as a Miami city commissioner after he was arrested on corruption charges, is hoping to return to the commission in a Tuesday runoff election — in part by copying Trump's playbook. It’s a classic Miami combination of politics, alleged corruption, the justice system and race.” ANOTHER BIG ENDORSEMENT AHEAD — The Vander Plaats primary is about to get its biggest test, reports POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg. Bob Vander Plaats, an influential evangelical leader in Iowa, is widely expected to endorse DeSantis in the presidential primary. At this point, that’s a big gamble. Vander Plaats, president of the Family Leader, has picked correctly in every recent GOP primary, backing Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Ted Cruz in 2016. All three won Iowa but went on to lose the primary. But now, with Trump dominating the field, he is poised to back a candidate who is running 30 points behind the frontrunner here — testing not only the clout of his own endorsement, but the willingness of evangelicals to abandon Trump. OPENING UP — “DeSantis’s two-pronged approach in Iowa: hit Trump on abortion, and get personal,” reports The New York Times’ Nicholas Nehamas. DeSantis shared for the first time that his wife, Casey DeSantis, had a miscarriage during the couple’s first pregnancy. “The deeply personal revelation — in response to a question about the importance of the nuclear family — was an unexpected moment for DeSantis, who is usually tight-lipped about both his faith and his family life.” IRRELEVANT? — “DeSantis gets ‘nonexistent’ bounce from Iowa governor endorsement,” reports The Messenger’s Marc Caputo. “A new Iowa State University poll, as well as a survey from a super PAC backing Trump, show that the high-profile endorsement did nothing to change the primary’s dynamics in favor of the Florida governor.” GROWING — A huge portion of Moms for Liberty’s revenue is fueled by contributions from two anonymous donors, reports The Associated Press’ Ali Swenson. “The dramatic increase was up from $370,000 in revenue the previous year, when it was founded, and reveals the financial footprint of the polarizing group’s massive nationwide growth.” DEBATE PREVIEW — Newsom TV ad hits DeSantis on abortion as Fox debate looms, reports POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago. California Gov. Gavin Newson is sending a warning shot at DeSantis over abortion ahead of their anticipated clash on Fox News later this month. On Sunday, Newsom debuted a new TV ad that accuses the Republican governor and presidential candidate of pushing policies that criminalize women and doctors who pursue abortions after six weeks." CASH BOOST — DeSantis raised $2 million over two days last week, reports Axios’ Alex Thompson. “The five fundraisers were on DeSantis' home turf in Florida where donors were asked to donate up to $11,600 — split between a leadership political action committee, a fund for the primary and a fund for the general election … A campaign spokesperson said that the 'overwhelming majority' of the money raised was for the primary.” | | | |
BIRTHDAY: Anthony Pedicini, founder of Strategic Image Management
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